Frugaling

Save more, live well, give generously

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Popular
    • Archives
  • Recommended
  • Contact
  • Save Money
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • Save Money with Mindfulness
    • Save at Starbucks
    • Psychological Trick To Reduce Your Online Shopping
    • Best Freebies
  • Minimalism
    • 8 TED Talks To Become A Minimalist
    • We Rent This Life
    • Everything Must Go
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • The Purchase Paradox: Wanting, Until You Own It
    • Nothing In My Pockets
  • Social Justice
    • Destroy The 40-Hour Workweek
    • Too Poor To Protest: Income Inequality
    • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    • Hunter Gatherers vs. 21st Century Desk-sitters
  • Make Money
    • Make $10k in 10 Months
    • Monetize Your Blog
    • Side Hustle for Serious Cash
  • Loans
    • 5 Rules To Follow Before Accepting Student Loans
    • Would You Marry Me?
    • Should I Have a Credit Card If I’m In Debt?
    • $50k in Scholarships in 70 Minutes

Stop Sharing REI’s #OptOutside Campaign

By Frugaling 17 Comments

Share This:

IMG_0066

Ads are forcefully injected into our daily lives, without permission or explicit consent. We didn’t explicitly sign up for them and never agreed to the terms. And yet, we live alongside these glossy pages, commercials, and billboards every day.

They are ubiquitous. Ads are everywhere from our public schools to smartphones. Frankly, it’s easy to get fed up with the onslaught. To crave peace, tranquility, and minimalism is only natural. People are forcibly removing ads from view and saying “enough is enough.”

Marketers have noticed the resistance among consumers. Their old methods don’t seem to work. Print is dying, television is increasingly losing out to on-demand, and people are using ad blockers for the Internet. In response, they’re changing their methods, mediums, and messages. They’ve cleared the drawing board and developed new ways to attract us.

For marketers, the times are a changing. Consumers are living in this strange epoch of technology, social networking, and the “sharing economy.” Growing numbers of people are eschewing ownership, as technology has minimized our book cases and empowered us to pool resources. Selling us products has become a difficult proposition: what will we buy?

Amidst changing demographics, economic interests, and consumer preferences, growing numbers of companies are creating inspirational, aspirational, and ethically driven advertising. They know that if they inspire, touch, and/or move us we’ll share, tweet, fave, and like. The strategy is complex, but if advertisers can appeal to causes you believe in, you’ll be more likely to spread the word. As a bonus, articles and ads that are shared by consumers aren’t tagged with “advertisement” or “sponsored;” instead, they sneak behind the consumer wall and get peers to market to each other.

Even people who believe in anti-consumption, frugality, and simple living are being psychologically duped into sharing advertisements. And we seem to be accepting that our friends’ updates and tweets now include these reminders to buy, buy, buy. We are volitionally advertising to those we love most.

By now you might be looking for some examples. Most recently, REI created a massive social networking ad campaign centered on boycotting Black Friday. USAToday’s Hadley Malcolm wrote, “In an unprecedented move for the modern-day holiday shopping season, REI’s 143 stores will be closed the day after Thanksgiving.” REI even inspired a creative hashtag: #OptOutside. How fun! This outdoor and recreational company’s value driven campaign appeals directly to those who hate the co-opting and consumerism of that day.

REI-OptOutside-Black-Friday-e1445944915341-590x443

Malcolm’s article has been shared over 200,000 on Facebook alone. That’s one article for the company’s decision. Many in the simple living community have written about the decision – highlighting how it meets their values. It’s been shared all over Twitter.

REI is bucking a trend, but it’s not the first company to say they’re not supportive of post-Thanksgiving mass shopping. Last year, Patagonia published ads that said, “Don’t buy this jacket” in regards to Cyber Monday (the week after Thanksgiving). Again, the anti-consumptive ads were shared massively. It was a viral success — just like this year’s ads.

After Patagonia’s advertising campaign, they received huge press attention and their sales skyrocketed. It worked. REI’s advertisements have already worked, too.

They’ll reduce sales for one day: Black Friday. And then, the sales will greatly increase as those remember REI meets their values. To the company, money is money – doesn’t matter if it comes on Friday or next week.

Ultimately, it’s our power not to share. Companies know how to captivate us with their messages – even if they say “Don’t buy me.” We can’t help but respect these values and click tweet. In this economy, we choose what brands, products, and companies win. The responsibility is ours, but we needn’t do the work for them.

Filed Under: Minimalism, Save Money Tagged With: ad, ads, advertising, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, marketers, Marketing, OptOutside, REI, Thanksgiving, USAToday

Media Confuses Consumerism And Ads With Success

By Frugaling 2 Comments

Share This:

Related post: Too Poor To Protest: How Income Inequality Silences Your Voice

The Daily Show CNN Walk to the Couch Ads
The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart makes fun of CNN’s walk to the couch ads

Reader happiness versus advertising revenue

This is infuriating and intoxicating all at once. When you start a site and begin to build an audience, monetary consequences become more important. There’s serious money to be made. If I place in-text ads in front of my readers’ eyeballs, I risk alienating them while also skyrocketing my earnings. As an author, I constantly wonder what’s more important: A comfortable reading experience or pure profits?

This equation is delicate for any news source. Without ads, they cannot operate. Share too much, and you may lose your avid readership. There’s been a push in recent years to make ads more seamless – an effortless part of the process of consuming media.

CNN took this to the extreme recently, as they turned a simple walk to a couch into an advertising opportunity. A satirical critique from The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart ripped the idea apart and brutally made fun of the network. Clearly, the balance and boundary for advertisements had been crossed. Shortly after displaying this depraved attempt at money making, CNN cancelled the in-show advertising segment.

Ad revenue is falsely, grotesquely linked to success

A recent article in Business Insider catalogued the many ways Android was failing in comparison to the iOS/iPhone platform. In particular, the article focused on the Christmas shopping season purchases between the platforms:

Apple users on iPhone and iPad accounted for five times what Google’s Android users did when it comes to online shopping.

This is certainly a story and interesting financial question: Why are Google’s Android users spending less than their iPhone carrying friends? But here’s where many media outlets take this one step further and assert an ad-friendly correlation that doesn’t necessarily exist:

What the heck is wrong with Android users?

Android people just seem to be sitting on their hands. Their phones are just as powerful as iPhones are. They have bigger screens, too. But they don’t do anything with them.

Simon Khalaf, CEO of Flurry, one of the larger mobile ad companies…had a surprising answer for us: Androids are simply dumbphone replacement devices…

…It seems like the users on the majority of the island aren’t interested in modern life.

By not supporting big business – as much – this Christmas, Android users are being vilified. This contempt for a population seems to be solely motivated by advertising revenue. They’re described as inferior and worthless in the eyes of this media outlet. Why look for Android users when iPhone users will buy more?

Unfortunately, this is an incorrect, vapid conclusion. The author seems to stop short of actually looking for reasonable conclusions about what is happening. Androids make up about 80% of all smartphones. There’s a great diversity in Android users, as many are more affordable than iPhones. Androids can be applied to less expensive prepaid cell phone plans and off contract. These options cater to a different, more frugal audience than iPhones. Shouldn’t these frugal users be exalted for spending less?

Apple appeals to many audiences, but its affordability is better suited to the wealthy. The company’s margins are well known for being industry setting limits, with some products garnering 50% or more markup on actual build value. The person that buys an iPhone is likely in a different income class than an Android user.

But all these reasons are simply a defense of Android users, and that misses the greater point. Larger media outlets often get distracted by revenue and profits as the sole barometer of success. These news sources even go so far as critiquing less ad-friendly executives as being childish.

Embrace ads and be revered by Wall Street

If you’re not developing a way to monetize your platform, Wall Street isn’t interested. When technology darlings rise beyond startup status and begin entertaining an initial public offering (IPO), investors analyze the earning potential. For instance, Snapchat may have a multi-billion dollar valuation, but it’s not making money yet.

Angel investors have pumped hundreds of millions into the company for development. The future looks similar to Facebook: mine user data without explicit permission or choice (accept the terms or get off the app), and plaster intrusive ads that capture your attention and wallet. But who decided Wall Street was the bastion for business acumen and respect for users’ wants?

This is a narrative that major media outlets across the board tend to support. One of my favorite websites, The Verge, suggested that Mark Zuckerberg was childish when he didn’t support advertising as much. Likewise, they suggested that the major turnaround in Facebook’s stock was associated with his new embrace of ads:

Zuckerberg decided to buckle down, grow up, and start focusing on the nitty-gritty of the business.

He got trusted engineers to give up coding and start working on spreadsheets and mobile ads instead. He began taking face-to-face meeting with important clients like McDonalds. And he embraced more ads in both the news feed and in the company’s mobile products. The result has been a strong turnaround that has boosted the stock to new highs. (The Verge)

The Verge’s article seems to portray an atypical business desire as wrong or inferior. Zuckerberg is painted as an idiot that needed to “grow up” to recognize the basic business needs. Instead of being considered a hero for trying to stand up to investors, the media tends to focus on something that supports the mass-media-advertising model.

Consumerism, ads, and real progress

Corporate America would like you to think you’re merely an employee that aids profitability. Why exist if you are not contributing to a bottom line? As a company, there’s this assumption that you should take any and all profits you make – no matter the cost. But there are limits to corporate greed, and a backlash may result from poor planning.

CNN was privy to a major critique of their strange advertising practices. Clearly, a line was crossed. It’s easy to confuse advertising revenues with success. Honestly, when I have months that make me less money on Frugaling, I wonder what I did wrong. Fortunately, there’s a healthier reality that includes the users’ perspective. Success should be gaged in sharing and commenting rather than the profit model.

When your goal is a powerful reading experience – versus profits – you’ll likely end up with more in your pocket anyways.

Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: ad, ads, CNN, Consumer, Facebook, Frugal, Jon Stewart, money, readers, revenue, Salon, Snapchat, Tech, The Daily Show, The Verge, User, walk to the couch

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • My Low-Income Lifestyle
    My Low-Income Lifestyle
  • Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
    Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
  • What Are The Best Sites For Freebies?
    What Are The Best Sites For Freebies?
  • The Real Reason Poor People Can’t Save
    The Real Reason Poor People Can’t Save
  • The Frugal Guide To Buying A Used Car
    The Frugal Guide To Buying A Used Car

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services
  • 5 Ways to Save Thousands in Mortgage Interest
  • Why Professional Maintenance on Your Vehicle Saves You Money in the Long Run

Search

Archives

  • January 2023 (1)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (4)
  • July 2021 (5)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (2)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (5)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (5)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (3)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (14)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (13)
  • February 2015 (12)
  • January 2015 (15)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (11)
  • June 2014 (12)
  • May 2014 (16)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (13)
  • February 2014 (9)
  • January 2014 (20)
  • December 2013 (9)
  • November 2013 (18)
  • October 2013 (15)
  • September 2013 (11)
  • August 2013 (11)
  • July 2013 (27)
  • June 2013 (18)
  • May 2013 (16)

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • My Low-Income Lifestyle
  • Who Are Your Financial Role Models?

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in